Next Time We Meet
by Marymel
Summary: A forensic conference brings back a familiar face...and an old crush.
1. Chapter 1

**Next Time We Meet**

**A forensic conference in Las Vegas brings back a familiar face...and an old crush.**

**FYI: My story "Dear Greg" is referenced here.**

**I got to thinking, what would happen if Riley Adams returned to Vegas...and that's what led to this story. Please read and review.**

**I do not own CSI.**

Greg Sanders and Nick Stokes were sitting in the break room when D.B. Russell came in with their assignments. "Oh, and don't forget, you both are to attend at least one lecture at the Forensic Science Conference this week." Russell handed the two men schedules for the event before walking away.

Greg raised his eyebrows and Nick sighed. "Who scedules a forensic conferece in Las Vegas?" the Texan CSI asked.

"Look at it this way, you save money on air and hotel fare," Greg said with a smile. Nick couldn't help but chuckle at his friend.

Just then, Morgan Broday arrived in the break room. "All right, who's joining me for a lecture on advancements in fingerprint analysis?"

Nick and Greg just groaned. They loved their jobs and were always eager to learn about advancements in forensics, but they both had a caseload that seemed to grow bigger every minute and they felt they were better off working in the field.

Sticking her lip out, Morgan sighed. "Come on, guys. It's just for a couple of hours, this Thursday, from 2:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon. I'll even throw in lunch."

Greg smiled and shook his head as Morgan continued her mock-pout. "All right," he said. "Sign me up. I'll go."

"Thank you," Morgan said with a smile.

The day of the conference arrived and, true to her word, Morgan treated Greg to luch in the hotel's restaurant before their lecture was scheduled to begin. They talked about most everything from Morgan's now good relationship with her father to Greg's childhood in California to the actual conference. Greg wasn't surprised to learn that Morgan was always interested in science, ever since her dad had helped her with a first grade science project.

"Yeah," Morgan said with a smile. "We put together this model of a human body with plastic tubes. And I got an A, thank you very much!"

Greg laughed. "When I was in first grade I put together a little bomb." Morgan's eyes widened. "Little bombs, with bicarbonate of soda."

Morgan laughed. "Yeah, Dad said you used to be crazy in the DNA lab."

Greg blinked in surprise, "Really?"

"Mm-hmm," Morgan replied, taking a sip of her water. "Something about how you would blast music and dance around the lab."

Greg blushed. "I didn't always dance around the lab." He and Morgan shared a smile.

"Dad also said you had the craziest hair!"

Greg laughed. "You should have seen me then! I tried a lot of styles."

Smiling, Morgan said, "I like your hair now."

Greg blushed again with a smile that lit up his face.

The two continued smiling and laughing and talking until Greg's cell phone rang.

As Greg put the phone to his ear, Morgan excused herself to go to the restroom.

"Sanders," Greg said as he answered the phone and watched Morgan walk away. He smiled as she disappeared into the restroom. He knew he thought she was beautiful, and now he wondered if she had the same feelings for him that he was feeling for her.

Greg listened as Nick told him that the trace they'd found at their latest crime scene confirmed the suspect that they had in custody had, in fact, comitted murder during a robbery gone bad.

As he listened, Greg turned around and glanced out the window when he saw someone he didn't think he'd see again. Coming down the steps in the hotel and greeting a colleague at the conference, was Riley Adams.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

**Hopefully you all liked Chapter One. I had hoped to have posted this a little sooner, but my computer had other ideas (DRAT!).**

**I always thought Greg and Riley had good chemistry together. And, like I said, I had been wondering what would happen if Riley ever returned to Vegas...so I wrote this story.**

**Thanks to all for the great reviews on this and my other stories!**

**I still don't own CSI**

Greg stood from his chair as he stared into the lobby of the hotel. Riley Adams, someone he worked with for a year and considered a friend, was back in Vegas. He hadn't heard from her since she left a letter stuffed into his locker on the day she left, and now here she was. Greg watched her greet a woman-a colleague of hers, he assumed-and head into an auditorium for a lecture.

He couldn't believe she was really here.

A tinny, "Greg?" brought Greg out of his thoughts. Realizing he still had his cell phone to his ear, he said, "Oh, yeah, sorry Nick. I'll catch up later this afternoon after the lecture."

"Okay, see you then."

Greg looked back into the lobby of the hotel even though Riley had disappeared into a conference room just moments before. After what she had said in the letter she gave him, Greg thought she'd never come back. Yet here she was, attending the same conference he was. Would he have the chance to see her again?

Greg was so lost in thought he didn't notice Morgan come up behind him until she put her had on his back. Greg startled slightly, then turned around to see the young woman he was falling for.

"Sorry," Morgan said sheepishly. "You okay?"

Greg sighed, embarassed that he'd been so distracted. "Yeah, I thought I saw somebody."

"Who?"

Greg slightly grimaced. "Uh, somebody I used to work with."

Morgan gave him a confused grin. Greg blushed slightly, realizing it probably wasn't a good idea to bring up the fact that you just saw your former crush while with your current one.

"Oh, just somebody who was in the lab years ago." Greg met Morgan's bemused stare with a smile of his own. "Really, it's fine."

"All right," Morgan said. "You ready to go?"

Greg sighed. "Yeah, let's go." Offering his hand to Morgan, Greg led her to the cash register to pay for lunch and wondered if he'd have the chance to see Riley again.

When the lecture was over, Greg and Morgan had agreed to head back to the lab to go over their current robbery/homicide case. They had to admit, they enjoyed meeting CSIs from all over the country and really wanted to put what they had learned to use in the lab.

Since Morgan had carpooled with Greg, he left to get his car from the parking lot while she waited in the hotel lobby. Walking to his car, he thought he once again saw the familiar former CSI.

She was standing next to the entrance to the parking lot, leaning against the concrete wall checking text messages. It _was_ her.

"Riley?"

Riley looked up and smiled when she saw her former co-worker. "Greg!"

Both of them laughed softly as Greg approached Riley.

"Wow," he said. "You're here."

"Yeah," Riley said with a slight smile. "I'm here, at the conference."

"So, you're still a CSI?" Greg shut his eyes in frustration, reallizing it was a silly question.

Riley chuckled. "Yeah. I'm, uh, in San Diego now. A co-worker and I had to come to the conference, so..."

Greg smiled. "Here you are."

"Uh-huh."

Both continued to smile, unsure of what to say next, when Riley's co-worker approached Riley from behind. "You ready to go?"

Riley snapped around as Greg looked at the young brunette woman. "Oh, um..."Riley trailed off.

Seeing Riley flustered, the brunette asked, "Am I interrupting?"

Both Riley and Greg smiled and said "no" almost at the same time. Sharing a chuckle with her former colleague, Riley turned to her friend. "Debra, I told you I used to work here at the Vegas Crime Lab, right?"

Debra nodded and extended a hand to Greg. "Hi, I'm Debra Cooper, I work with Riley in San Diego."

"Greg Sanders," he said, smiling and shaking Debra's hand.

After they exchanged hellos, Debra turned to Riley. "Meet you in the car?"

"Yeah," Riley said quickly.

"Nice to meet you," Greg said as Debra walked to her car.

"You too," she said over her shoulder.

Riley rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, we're going to dinner and to see the new Cirque show."

Greg smiled and nodded. "So, you in town for a while, or..."

"Till Sunday," Riley replied as Greg trailed off.

Greg opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by his cell phone's ring tone. Glancing at his phone, he saw a text from Morgan. _You get lost or something?_

Blushing, he looked back at Riley.

"I should go," Riley said with a sigh.

"Oh, yeah. Morgan's waiting for me to bring the car around."

"Morgan?"

Greg smiled shyly. "Yeah, she and I work together." Riley nodded.

As Riley was about to walk away, Greg spoke up. "Are you busy tomorrow night?"

Riley stopped in her tracks and smiled at Greg. "No, not as far as I know. Why?"

"You want to have dinner? My treat, here at the Tangiers restaurant."

Riley pursed her lips thinking about Greg's offer. She really had missed him.

Sighing, she said, "Okay. I'm staying here at the Tangiers, room 1429."

Grinning, Greg said, "Okay, I'll meet you in the lobby around...6:30?"

"Sounds good," Riley said with a nod. Taking out a business card from her purse, she wrote her cell phone number down on it and gave it to Greg. "I'll see you then."

"See you then."

Riley smiled and walked to Debra's car. Greg smiled thoughtfully and watched Riley leave before getting into his own car to meet Morgan. He looked forward to dinner with Riley tomorrow night.

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

As he pulled his car around the front of the hotel, Morgan was waiting outside. Greg blushed as he saw the CSI.

"Got lost?" Morgan asked with a raised eyebrow.

Greg rolled his eyes and smiled. "No, I saw someone I used to work with here."

Morgan looked thoughtful as Greg pulled into traffic and headed for the lab.

"What's she like?"

Greg blinked in surprise. "What?"

Morgan smiled. "I'm just...wondering if that's why you're so..."

Greg smiled and glanced over at Morgan, who was smiling thoughtfully at him. He figured honesty was the best policy. "She's...okay."

Morgan rolled her eyes. "Greg, you kept me waiting for five minutes. That's gotta be better than okay."

Greg sighed and realized he'd better have this conversation with her here in private than at work. "Her name's Riley. She worked at the lab for a little less than a year back three years or so ago. She was a CSI Level Two then. She was a good CSI, but a little...stubborn. She didn't talk much about herself or her family, and she left without much of an explanation."

Morgan nodded, taking it all in. "Why did she leave?"

"Well, she came on board a few weeks after Warrick was killed."

Morgan nodded and smiled softly. She didn't remember much about Warrick Brown, but he was important to everyone on the Grave Shift with the exception of D.B. and Julie. "And?"

Greg sighed. "She said there was no team unity, and she couldn't move forward as long as she was on the team." Chuckling, Greg added, "Catherine was mad because she left about a hundered open cases."

"Hmm."

Finally, Greg pulled in to the parking lot of the Crime Lab. He parked and turned his car off, then looked at Morgan. She was staring out the window.

Feeling the need to say something, Greg asked, "You okay?"

Morgan turned to Greg. Seeing his eyes filled with concern, she said, "Yeah."

Greg looked at Morgan skeptically. Sensing his concern, Morgan said, "Really, I am."

Greg smiled. His hand drifted over to take hers.

Feeling Greg's hand wrap around hers, Morgan smiled. "I'm okay. It just hadn't been that long ago that I was the new kid on the team. After everything that happened..."

Greg gently squeezed her hand and smiled. "That's different. You've stayed. You don't shut down every time someone asks you about your life before you came here. You are a good CSI. And you mean a lot to me..." Greg smiled and shyly looked down when Morgan looked at him. "You do."

Before Morgan could respond, her cell phone rang. Whining, she answered. "Brody. Yeah, yeah, good." Greg kept rubbing the back of Morgan's hand with his thumb. "Yeah, we just got back. We'll be there in five minutes." Morgan hung up as she glanced at her hand fitting comfortably in Greg's.

Both of them had to return to the lab, but neither of them wanted to let go of the other's hand.

"Hodges identified the foreign substance on the victim's clothes. We'd better..." Morgan trailed off.

Greg simply nodded. Before he could say anything, his cell went off. Groaning as he saw a text from Hodges, Greg glanced at Morgan. "Ready?"

"Sure," she replied with a soft chuckle.

As they got out of the car, Greg couldn't shake the feeling that as much as he wanted to see Riley again, he really was falling for Morgan. He didn't want to leave her side, even if they were just holding hands.

Walking side by side with Morgan into the lab, Greg wondered what would happen with tomorrow night's dinner with Riley. He thought he had maybe even had feelings for his former colleague, but sitting with Morgan just holding her hand...he didn't want to leave her side.

What would happen over dinner?

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

**First of all, thank you CSI001 for your great review. I am a fan of your stories! You rock!**

**Second, thanks to csinumberstlk lover for adding this to your favorite stories! And a huge thank you to all who have read this so far!**

**This takes place just before the dinner, plus you get a good scene between Greg and Nick!**

**Enjoy and please review!**

The following evening, Greg stood in front of the mirror in his locker and grimaced as he pulled the necktie from around his neck. He was dressed in a navy blue buttoned-down shirt and blue jeans...he wondered why he would even think of wearing a tie with jeans. _Why am I so nervous? It's just dinner with a friend._ Greg sighed. There was a time he thought of Riley as someone he'd like to know better...more than a friend. But she left before he made his move. He kept telling himself it was just an old friend in town for a convention and they were just having dinner before she had to leave in two days-that wasn't doing any good.

"Whoa!" Greg turned to see Nick walking into the locker room with a grin. "Looks like you're going to have a good night."

Greg just shook his head with a smile. "Nah, just dinner with a friend."

"Good friend?"

Greg rolled his eyes. "Used to be."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Greg sighed. "Riley."

Nick's eyes widened in surprise. "Riley? Really?"

"I saw her the other day at the Tangiers. She's in town for the conference."

Nick shut his own locker door. "She still a CSI?"

Greg rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes, genius! She and a co-worker of hers are here from San Diego for the conference. I bumped into her yesterday and asked if she wanted to have dinner with me tonight. Don't tell me you're still mad at her!"

"And you're not?" Nick remembered how disappointed he was when he returned from an entemology conference and learned that Riley had just left with hardly any explanation.

"Look, Greg, I liked her. But she just left! She was a part of this team..."

"I know that, Nick!" Greg was trying not to yell.

"Did you know what she put in her exit interview?" Greg just nodded. Riley had said the team was fractured and Catherine was a poor leader. "Sara left, then we lost Warrick, and she didn't even think about that, much less care!"

Greg sighed and raised his head. "Maybe! But I just...I need to know why."

Nick sighed. He knew Greg had had a crush on Riley, and probably just needed closure of some sort. Placing his hand on Greg's shoulder, Nick said, "Okay. I'm sorry."

Greg looked at Nick and sighed. "Thank you."

Nick smiled softly. "Hopefully she feels more-I don't know-useful."

Greg smiled. "Maybe."

Nick left and Greg shut his locker door. He was hurt when he found out about what Riley had said about Catherine and the team almost as much as when he found out Riley left. He pulled his duffel bag on his shoulder and thought about what he was going to say to her. It had been three years since he last saw her. Where would he begin? And how would it end?

Greg arrived at the Tangiers and waited in the lobby. He'd texted Riley while he walked to his car to let her know he was coming, but he hadn't heard anything back. Had she changed her mind? Did she forget?

"I'm sorry, sir. No one's answering in room 1429," the desk clerk explained. Sighing, Greg took out his cell phone and checked the business card with Riley's number on it. He was about to call Riley again when he heard a familiar voice.

"You ready?"

Greg turned and saw Riley in the lobby. Dressed in a pair of black slacks, a buttoned-down gray blouse, and her hair in a ponytail, she was beautiful.

Greg put his cell phone back in his pocked. Smiling at his friend and former colleague, he walked over to her. "Whenever you are," he said as he offered his elbow for her to take.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

Greg and Riley placed their orders with the waiter and thanked him as they smiled at each other. Both had to admit they had missed each other. No matter what had happened in the lab during the short time Riley was there, Greg had to admit she was a good CSI and he missed just being with her. She never knew him as the lab rat with the crazy hair, just as the witty CSI who was promoted to Level Three not long after she joined the team.

Riley took a sip of her water and glanced at Greg. "You look great."

"Yeah?" Riley nodded. "So do you." _Smooth Greg, really smooth,_ he thought.

Riley smiled. The waiter saved them from a few moments of awkward silence by bringing their drinks. When he left, Greg sighed. Feeling the need to say something, he said, "So, you're in San Diego now."

"Mm-hmm," Riley said, taking a sip of her wine. "Yeah, I've been there for almost four years now. It's uh...it's great."

"Good," Greg said, taking a sip of his wine.

Riley nodded. "So, how's Nick and everyone?"

"Nick's good. Doc Robbins and Super Dave are both good. All the lab tech's are good, too." Greg groaned to himself, _could this conversation _get _any more awkward._

"Even Hodges?" Riley asked with a wrinkled brow.

"Yeah, Hodges is Hodges," Greg said with a smile. "Oh, and Henry's in DNA now."

"Yeah? What happened to Wendy?" Riley and Wendy had become friends in the short time the CSI was there.

"Wendy pulled a Sanders," Greg said with a smile. Riley looked at him confused. "She's a CSI now. She moved to Spokane a couple of years ago. Last I heard she had made Level Two."

"Really? That's really good." Riley took another sip of wine, trying to get up the nerve to ask the next question.

Sensing her nervousness, Greg smiled. "Practically the whole team's differrent now. After you left, Sara Sidle came back. She's the CSI that was dating Grissom." Riley nodded, remembering Nick and Greg had told her of the woman. "Yeah, she and Grissom are married now."

"So, is he back at the lab?"

Greg shook his head. No he travels all over the world doing scientific work and research. Last Sara told us, he was in Peru on an archeological expedition."

"Wow," Riley said with nod. Taking another sip of wine, RIley looked at Greg. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something.

"We've got a new boss," Greg said. Riley raised her eyebrows and asked, "Really?"

Greg smiled, remembering his first encounter with the man. "His name is D.B. Russell, and he's from Seattle. He's a pretty cool guy. Married, got four kids. I've worked with him for over a year now. He's a really good team leader."

"D.B.? Really?" Riley smiled.

Greg smiled and sighed. "Yeah, he is a good boss. We have a really good team."

Riley lowered her eyes to the table. One of the big complaints she had against Catherine was that she was a poor leader.

Greg grimaced. "I'm sorry, I didn't..."

Riley shook her head. "No, no it's okay."

The waiter brought their food to the table and they began to eat their dinners. After a few minutes of eating in silence, Greg looked up at Riley.

"You really do look good."

Riley looked up and smiled shyly. "Oh, sure, tell me that when I'm chowing down on fettucine!"

Greg laughed and sipped his wine. Riley smiled. "I guess I found a team that's a better fit for me. Debra, the friend of mine you met yesterday, she's the assistant supervisor there. She and I hit it off almost immediately."

Greg nodded and picked at his food in silence. Now Riley could tell he was looking for something to say.

"So, um...I heard on the news about Langston finally killing Haskell."

Greg sighed and nodded. "Yeah, that monster took Ray over the edge."

Riley nodded. "I remember when we were first investigating with him, the college kids who were victims of the Dick and Jane copycat killer. Haskell really creeped me out."

Greg couldn't help but ask, "And Ray?"

Riley sighed. "I didn't like the fact that we were training him. Kind of felt like we were babysitting."

Greg smiled sympathetically. "Everybody's gotta start somewhere." With a chuckle, he added, "You should have seen me when _I_ was a CSI One."

Riley smiled. "Guess you're right."

"Anyway, Ray was terminated and he left to be with his ex-wife after he saved her from Haskell." Greg shook his head and looked down at the table, remembering when he and the team investigated the horrific night.

Riley sighed. "So he's no longer a CSI?"

"No," Greg said quietly. He looked up from the table and into Riley's concerned eyes. "I wish you could have gotten along with him better."

Grimacing, Riley said, "I guess I am, too."

As Greg took a sip of wine, Riley sighed. "So, you haven't said anything about Catherine. She okay?"

Greg nodded. "It did hurt her, to read all those things you had to say in your exit interview about the team and her leadership."

Riley sighed. "I was angry. I thought..."

Holding his hand up to interrupt her, Greg said, "You were wrong." Riley stared at Greg. "About Catherine, the team. All of us."

Riley sipped her wine and held Greg's gaze. "I'm sorry you think so."

Greg sighed. "I know so."

The two continued their meal in silence until they finished the food and the waiter cleared their plates. When the waiter returned, Greg simply asked him for the check.

After the waiter gave him the check, Riley closed her eyes in frustration. Reaching out to touch Greg's arm, she said, "I _am_ sorry, Greg. I shouldn't have just left."

Greg sighed. As much as he missed her and wondered what might have happened between the two of them, the team was his family. They had come through for each other many times, and Greg hated the thought of having to chose between them and Riley.

"I got your letter," Greg said with a sigh. He remembered that after Riley had left, he found a letter from her stuffed in his locker explaining her reasons for leaving. "I wish you could have come to me. No matter what was bugging you, no matter what..."

"I know," Riley said with a sigh. "Look, like I said, I don't do the whole 'talk about my feelings' thing. I can't help the way I feel then or now."

Greg blinked back in confusion. "Now?"

Riley held Greg's beautiful brown eyes. "I'm thinking about coming back."


	6. Chapter 6

**First of all, many, many thanks to CSI001. Your reviews give me such a great boost! I'm a fan of your stories as well!**

**Second, I hope those of you reading this story are enjoying it. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think!**

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter! **

**I still do not own CSI.**

Greg just stared in surprise. "What did you just say?"

Riley sighed and leaned over closer to Greg. "I said I'm thinking about coming back."

Greg didn't know whether to smile or be angry. He'd missed Riley ever since the day he found that letter from her in his locker. He had always thought he'd cared about her then. But so many things had happened since. The team was still his family, but he had always wondered if he could have had a life and family with Riley. If she had come back a year ago and said she was thinking of coming back, Greg wouldn't have hesitated to say yes. But now, his team-his _family_-had changed so much. He, Sara and Nick were closer than ever, and the team had grown closer in the last year. And then there was Morgan. He had been in love with her since the first time he saw her. Could she understand how he felt-or thought he felt-about Riley?

Rubbing her hand across his arm, Riley said, "Well?"

Greg's thoughts came back to the present. Gazing at his former co-worker, Greg sighed. "We've all missed you, you know?"

Riley's face softened. "I've missed you and everyone...most everyone."

Greg's eyes met Riley's. "Catherine?"

Riley nodded, almost embarrassed.

"You know she's with the FBI now?"

Riley's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, the team had a case a few months ago with the FBI. They were trying to track down this weapons dealer who Catherine's friend just happened to be married to." Riley listened intently.

"Anyway," Greg continued, "Long story short, the FBI was very impressed with her and thankful for all she did to catch the guy, they offered her a job."

Riley sighed. "Wow!"

Greg chuckled. "She was almost killed when the guys goons came after her, but she made it. Now she's at Quantico."

"Hmm. That's good." Riley glanced up into Greg's eyes. "Oh, I mean, I feel sorry that she was almost killed. But it's cool that she's a fed." Riley groaned at her last statement, but Greg just smiled and laughed.

When the waiter returned with Greg's check and Greg handed him his credit card, Riley asked him about one team member.

"Tell me about Morgan."

Greg couldn't help but smile at just the mention of Morgan's name. Yep, he thought to himself, he is definitely in love with her.

"Well, she's been with the team a little over a year now. She was first a CSI in L.A., helped the team when Haskell drew Langston there. Like she said, the Langston fallout had a far reach, and she was fired from there and came to Vegas."

"Hmm..." Riley was taking it all in. "She fits in well, then?"

Greg smiled and nodded. "Yeah, really well." He shyly looked away. "By the way, she's Ecklie's daughter."

Riley almost choked on the sip of wine she was taking. "Really?"

Greg smiled. "Yeah, she took her stepdad's name." Riley nodded.

"She's a great CSI," Greg added with a smile. "Really loves science. She and Doc Robbins have become great friends."

"Oh, cool." Riley shyly looked away.

Greg reached over and took Riley's hand. Waiting for her to meet his gaze, he said, "I don't know what to say."

Riley squeezed Greg's hand. "I just...I have missed everyone. But I've missed you most."

Greg looked into Riley's eyes. He had wished for this moment ever since he learned Riley had left. But now, he had more questions than answers.

The waiter returned with his card and Greg signed for the check. The whole time, Riley was searching Greg's face for a sign that he had an answer for her one way or the other. She wanted to come back almost since she left. Now she just wanted Greg to tell her whether or not she was welcome to come back.

When Greg looked up and saw Riley's gaze, he realized how much he had wanted to make her stay before. He would have given anything to know why she was so angry or hurt and why she couldn't come to him or anyone and tell them why she felt she had no other choice but to leave.

Riley couldn't stand Greg's silence any longer. "Well, what do you think about me maybe coming back?"

Greg looked into Riley's face and sighed. "I'm sorry."

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you again CSI001 for your awesome reviews! And thank you daisydadog for adding this to your story alerts! You guys rock!**

**I try to stay true to Greg and how I think he'd react, so I hope you all enjoy the story!**

**Here's chapter 7. Please leave a review!**

Riley blinked in surprise. "What are you sorry for?"

Greg sighed. Even though she had broken his heart, he really didn't want to hurt her. He took her hand and said, "How about I walk you to your room?"

Riley nodded and squeezed Greg's hand. "Okay."

The two left the restaurant and strolled around the hotel lobby, still holding hands. Greg and Riley both smiled and wondered what life might have been like if she had stayed in Vegas. Riley had wondered if she would still be CSI on Grave or would she have changed shifts to stay with Greg. He wondered if she would have married him and if they would have had a couple of little CSIs of their own.

Greg sighed as he and Riley made their way past a gift shop. Seeing their reflections in the mirror, Riley realized Greg was lost in thought.

"Greg?"

Greg blinked and looked at Riley.

"You with me?"

He sighed as he caught their reflection in the window. "Yeah."

The two continued walking. Riley didn't want to say it out loud, but she had missed Vegas. She thought she could prove herself as a CSI in the greatest lab in the country, but she felt she didn't make much of a difference at all.

Greg had to admit that it felt good to have Riley back in town again, just not as good as he thought it might have been. Three years ago, he would have easily said "do it" if Riley had said she was thinking of coming back. He had always thought they made a good team, and of all of the team, he felt her loss the most. But now things were different. The team was different...and Morgan was a huge part of that difference.

Joining Riley on the elevator, Greg looked at the woman who stole his heart years ago.

"You going to be busy tomorrow?"

Riley shook her head. "Not really. I think I've been to all the lectures I'm supposed to go to, but Debra still has to go to one tomorrow afternoon."

Greg sighed. "Come to the lab."

Riley gasped and stared at Greg. After a few moments of dumbfounded silence, she asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! Look, you can meet the new guys, and I think Sara would want to meet you. And everyone else would love to see you again." Greg hoped he was right.

Riley thought for a moment. She really did want to see Greg, and wouldn't mind seeing Nick and the others again. But would she really want to stay after that.

After what seemed like several minutes, the elevator ding indicating they had arrived on the floor where Riley's room was snapped Riley out of her thoughts. Riley exited the elevator and Greg followed closely behind.

"Come on Riley," Greg said. Stepping in front of the door to her room, Riley sighed. "I don't know."

Riley smiled at Greg and reached up to touch his cheek. There was a time Greg would have given anything to feel her touch. Now, even with the woman he thought he could fall in love with standing right in front of him, his thoughts drifted to Morgan.

"Thank you for tonight."

Greg smiled as he looked in Riley's face. Before he had a chance to ask what she was doing, she gave him a sweet, heartfelt kiss on the cheek.

Riley pulled away and looked Greg in the eyes, realizing how much she missed those caramel-colored orbs.

She sighed. "See you tomorrow."

**TBC...**


	8. Chapter 8

**First of, big thank you to CSI001 for your great reviews! And thank you to everyone who has been reading and enjoying this story. Please leave me a review!**

**Second, this chapter references my previous story, "Dear Greg." So if you haven't read that, there's a little background here.**

**I still do not own CSI. Please leave a review!**

Greg had hardly gotten any sleep that night. He kept thinking of how he had always cared about Riley and thought he could fall in love with her. Of how, when she left, he felt heartbroken and wondered if he could have said or done something-_anything_-to make her stay.

The more he thought about Riley and how different his life might have been if she had stayed, his thoughts continued to drift to Morgan. From the moment he saw Morgan in the lab when she interviewed with Ecklie for a job, he was smitten with her. She was beautiful, smart, funny...everything he could want.

Greg thought he had wanted those things with Riley, but by the time he got the courage up to ask her out, she had gone. Riley was out of his life before he had a chance to tell her how much he wanted her in his.

Getting up from the bed, Greg searched around in his nightstand for the letter Riley had written and left for him when she had left the team nearly four years ago. Finding the folded piece of paper, he opened and reread it.

_Dear Greg,_

_I'm so sorry to do this. I know you're probably angry and hurt. That's the last thing I wanted._

_I really do love my work. I've come to care about everyone here. You and Nick have become like my big brothers, and Doc and Super Dave are two of the best friends I've ever had. But I cannot help feeling that I am not an assett to the team. I knew coming into the team that you and everyone had lost a team member so horribly, and for that, I am sorry. But I couldn't just stop and mourn. I know that sounds mean, but I didn't know Warrick Brown. All I knew of him were stories Nick and Catherine and you would tell. But I wanted to move on, not live in the past. Then that whole...thing with Grissom leaving and Ray Langston coming on happened. Grissom and I had our disagreements, but I always respected him. I just, I don't know, felt he lived in the past. And when Ray came on board, I guess I just felt underappreciated or something. _

_As I guess you know, I don't do the whole "talk about my feelings" thing. And I don't like to talk about myself. Maybe that's why, with everything I had heard about Grissom, I thought this team would be a good fit for me. But with everything that's happened, I can't help feeling that there is no team unity. Yes, you and Nick and Catherine are like family. But I don't feel like I belong. Maybe if I had known Warrick Brown or if I had joined the team earlier or something, I'd feel different. But I can't help but feel like I'm moving forward in a team that is stagnant. _

_I know you and most, if not all, the team will be hurt. For that, I am sorry. You are one of the kindest, strongest people I have ever known. But I need to move on. I am really sorry, but I need to. Please give my best to Nick, Doc Robbins, Super Dave, and everyone. I hope that you know that, in the short time I was in Vegas, you helped make it feel like home. I guess I'm trying to say I love you. I hope you understand why I am leaving. If you don't, I hope someday you can forgive me._

_Riley._

Greg sighed as he placed the letter back in the drawer. He may have wondered what it might have been like if Riley had ever come back, but now he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

**TBC...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Seriously, hardly any reviews for the last chapter? Come on, folks. Let me know how I'm doing!**

**Hope you guys like this chapter! And thanks for reading!**

The following morning, Greg walked into the break room and poured himself a cup of coffee. He didn't care if it wasn't his precious Blue Hawaiian, he just wanted to wake up. He plopped down on the couch and inhaled the steamy liquid.

"Looks like you had a rough night." Greg looked up to see the smiling face of Morgan Brody.

"Mmm...just couldn't sleep."

Morgan stared inquisitively at the man. She had wondered about his date with his former co-worker, but she wasn't going to come out and ask if he slept with her...even if she did want to know.

Seeing the beautiful blonde's gaze, Greg looked her in the eyes. "I didn't sleep with Riley."

Morgan's eyes widened a little. "Okay," she said somewhat dumbfounded. "I believe you."

Greg met Morgan's gaze and found himself getting lost in her smile, her face, everything. Morgan turned to get a mug from the cabinet and pour herself a cup of coffee, feeling like Greg could probably see her blushing even when her back was to him.

Greg got up from the couch and walked over to where Morgan stood by the cabinet. "I was, um..." Greg and Morgan looked into each other's eyes. He would have kissed Morgan right then, but...

_"CSI Sanders, you have a visitor in the lobby."_ was heard over the loudspeaker.

Greg couldn't stop the blush creeping over him. "Go ahead," Morgan said, brushing her hand against his.

Smiling, Greg left the break room and headed for the lobby.

Rounding the corner, Greg saw Riley Adams standing at the desk talking to Judy the receptionist.

Greg could've sworn his heart skipped a beat.

Riley turned to Greg and smiled. "Hey."

"Hi. I wasn't sure if you'd come."

Riley shrugged. "Neither did I. But..."

Just then Sara Sidle walked past. Greg held up his hand for Riley to wait.

"Hey, Sara!"

Sara turned and walked over to Greg.

"Riley, I want you to meet Sara Sidle. Sara, this is Riley Adams."

Both women exchanged polite smiles and shook hands.

"Greg has told me a lot about you," Riley told Sara.

"Oh, really?" Sara shot a skeptical look at Greg, causing him to grin.

"Sara!" Nick shouted as he approached. "Have you had a chance to..."

"Hey Nick," Riley interrupted.

Nick did a double take. "Riley?"

Riley laughed and nodded.

"Hi. What are you doing here?" Greg couldn't help but notice a little sarcasm in Nick's tone.

"Oh, just visiting," Riley said with a shrug. The two former co-workers nodded and smiled.

"Well," Nick said after a moment, "Sara do you have the results of the tox panel for the Hendrix case?"

"Just on my way to Hodges now."

"Mind if I join you?" Turning to Riley, he said, "It is good to see you again."

Riley smiled and nodded. "You too. And good to meet you, Sara."

"Good to meet you," Sara said as she and Nick walked away.

Just then, D.B. walked up to the two friends. "You must be Riley Adams."

"That's me."

Greg looked at his boss and then at Riley. "I just wanted to talk to him, see what my opportunities might be," she told her friend.

**TBC...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you to CSI001, , and everyone who has reviewed and liked this story so far. And thank you to csinumberstlk lover for adding this story and me to your alerts. Always a great boost when you hear from people who like your work. :)**

**Here's chapter 10. And I do not own CSI. Please read and review!**

D.B. led Riley and Greg to his office. Along the way, Riley said hello to all the lab techs who were just as surprised to see her as Greg was that she actually came.

"Come on in," D.B. said with a smile as he held open the door to his office.

Riley was silent as she looked all around the office. "Wow," she said quietly. It's a little bigger with just one person using it."

Standing just behind Riley, Greg chuckled. "Yeah, when Grissom left, Catherine gave Nick Grissom's office," he explained. "Then he offered to share it with me and Riley."

"Yeah, we all shared the place. Felt a little smaller then." D.B. smiled and nodded as Riley continued taking in the space of the room.

"Sit down, please." D.B. gestured to a chair. Just before he sat down next to Riley, Greg heard a familiar voice chime into the room.

"Hey, Russell, I got a question..."

Greg couldn't help but smile as Morgan walked into the room. He stood and walked over to her.

"Morgan Brody, this is Riley Adams."

Riley stood and smiled at the woman. She had wanted to know about the young CSI that seemed to hold Greg's heart in her pocket. But standing in front of Morgan, Riley suddenly wished she could leave.

"Oh, hi." Morgan smiled and extended her hand to Riley. "Nice to meet you." She had heard Greg, Nick and Catherine talk about her, but somehow Riley was not what Morgan expected. She was thinking Riley was more...brash and 'in-your-face' than the smiling, somewhat quiet woman that stood in front of her.

Riley was taking Morgan in as well. Not knowing what else to say, Riley said, "You too. So, you're Ecklie's daughter." Riley immediately groaned and shut her eyes in frustration. "Sorry."

Morgan nodded and smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, I took my stepdad's last name."

Greg watched the women's first meeting and wished he could say something to make it less frustrating for both of them. "Yeah, she's been here for a year or so now. She's a great CSI and really invaluable here." Greg smiled at Morgan. She smiled back and blushed furiously.

Riley nodded. She had wondered herself what it might have been like to come back to Vegas and work with the team ever since she arrived back in town for the convention. But now, standing in front of the man she had wanted to be so much more than a friend smile at the blonde CSI in the new boss' office, she realized how big of a mistake that might be.

"Morgan, you had something?" D.B. asked her, breaking the uncomfortable silence that fell in the room.

"Huh?" Morgan glanced from Greg to Riley to D.B. "Oh, yeah. Fingerprints came back on our John Doe." She handed her boss the folder that identified their homicide victim.

"All right, so what was he doing at the Gold Square?"

Morgan looked up and saw Greg look from her to Riley. More uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"You know what," D.B. said, "how bout I let you two talk for a while?"

Greg looked back at his boss. "Uh, yeah." He looked back at Morgan, who smiled at him. As much as he had missed Riley and was happy to see her again, he couldn't deny that he was falling in love with Morgan Brody.

"I'll be in DNA," Morgan said. As she watched Greg smile at her, she realized she was falling for him as well.

When they left, Greg shut the door and turned to Riley. She looked at him and sighed. "I've missed you."

Greg sighed. "I missed you. But..." Riley nodded at Greg, realizing she more than likely no longer had a place in the Las Vegas Crime Lab...or with Greg.

**TBC...**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you again CSI001 and everyone who's been reading and reviewing this story. **

**This chapter's a bit longer, with a long-awaited talk between Greg and Riley. Hope you enjoy it. Please read and review.**

**And I still don't own CSI.**

Greg closed the door and turned to face Riley. Funny how he had been thinking about this moment since she left almost four years ago and now he didn't know how to behave.

Riley anxiously looked around the room as if she was trying to find an escape route. She wanted to tell Greg that she had missed the lab, missed _him_ every day since she'd been gone, but thought he probably wouldn't believe her.

Wanting to break the silence, Greg thought it was now or never that he asked Riley what he wanted to know since he saw her at the convention. "Why did you come back?"

Riley slowly turned to face Greg. "I'm here with the San Diego crime lab. We're..."

"No, I mean, really? Why did you come back?"

"Greg..." Riley began with a sigh.

"Riley, why?" Greg didn't intend for that to come out so sternly, but it did.

Sighing, Greg said, "I guess a better question would be why did you leave."

"I told you..."

"No, you _wrote _me. There's a difference between telling someone to their face and stuffing a letter in their locker like their in junior high school!"

"I couldn't stay! I-I..." Riley sighed heavily and looked at Greg. He looked at her intently, almost like she was a suspect in interrogation. Her heart sunk. She realized it was time to be honest with him and herself.

"I loved you."

Greg blinked in surprise. "You what?"

Looking up at the ceiling, Riley thought about how many times she wanted to tell Greg how she felt...this was definitely not how she imagined it.

"I had always wondered why I didn't just come up to you and tell you that I wished things could've been different."

Greg cared about Riley, but he was now getting impatient. "What are you saying, Riley? You left because you wanted to go out with me?"

Riley shook her head. "N-no. I mean, I did fall for you." _Well, now it was out_, she thought.

Greg stared at her almost in total disbelief. "You...you fell for me?"

Riley looked at Greg but wouldn't look him in the eyes. "I did."

Greg wanted to walk over to her and tell her he had felt the same way once, but he still wanted to know why she left and why she came back.

"What happened?"

Riley sighed heavily. Finally meeting his concerned brown eyes, she decided to tell him the truth.

"Do you remember that senator's case we had?"

"The one where the senator was accused of killing his mistress."

Riley nodded. "His aide was supposed to testify in his defense, but...h-he..."

Greg remembered the case. "He killed himself outside the courtroom while the trial was going on."

Riley nodded and looked down at the floor. "Yeah," she said softly.

Greg remembered how defensive Riley got when they were processing the dead man's car. "You were pretty angry at the guy."

"Yeah," Riley added so softly Greg would have missed it if not for the deafening silence.

"Riley...what happened?"

Riley looked up as a tear rolled down her cheek. "My brother killed himself."

Greg blinked and his expression changed from frustration to concern. "Wow," he said softly. "I'm so sorry."

Riley wiped away another tear from her cheek. "It was back when I was in college. He had gone through a bad breakup and our parents thought...I don't know...he should get his act together, or something. Anyway, one Sunday afternoon after a family get-together, he and my parents had a huge fight. I sided with him, as usual. And they told him to leave. He told me not to let them get me down." Riley couldn't help but give a sad chuckle. "I should have told him the same thing."

Greg continued to stare sympathetically. "Anyway," Riley continued, "that night he took an overdose of pills. I found him the next morning."

"I'm sorry." Greg touched her arm sympathetically.

Riley pulled her arm away. "I'm sorry." She said when she saw the concerned look on his face. "Things between me and my family aren't exactly good. I mean, we just started really talking to each other again."

Greg nodded. "So that's why you were so angry."

Riley just nodded. "At first, I thought it would be great to be here. I mean, I knew you all had lost your friend before I came. I guess I just...I don't know, underestimated myself and everyone."

Greg nodded, remembering how she had said in her letter that the team was stagnant and she wanted to move on.

Riley smiled sadly. "I know this is going to sound mean, but the way Grissom was so...so distant from everyone, made me think of my dad. He never talked about how he was feeling, even though he's a shrink. Huh, maybe that's where I get my stubborn streak."

A sad smile crossed Greg's face. "So you left because you didn't want to talk about your feelings?"

"No," Riley said, trying not to sob. "I wanted to move on. I guess I had spent so much time being sad and wondering what I could have done...seeing how much you all missed your friend made me realize I was still doing that."

"So you ran away?"

Riley cringed at Greg's statement, but she knew he was right. She laid a hand on his shoulder. "I pushed away people who tried to...to help. I hated my parents because I thought they were too stubborn or too proud to help him." Riley couldn't fight the tears anymore and began to cry softly.

Greg pulled her into a loving hug. He sighed as she cried on his shoulder.

After a couple of minutes, she pulled back. "I'm sorry."

Greg sighed. "I wish I had known about that. I cared about you, you know."

Riley smiled through her tears. "Yeah, I do."

Looking at the woman he knew as a brash CSI try to hold back tears, Greg sighed. He realized he may have been in love with her once, but it was now just what could have been-not what was going to be.

Riley gazed at Greg intently. "I thought you were cute from the moment I saw you," she said sadly.

Greg smiled gently. "I thought the same thing about you."

Riley blinked back tears. "But I thought with everything that happened to the team..."

"What?"

"I knew how much you and everyone loved your friend, Warrick, was it?" Greg nodded. "But instead of talking to you or to anyone, I pushed you away."

Greg nodded sympathetically. "So that's why you left. Because you weren't just upset about the team not moving on...you were afraid of getting hurt."

Riley nodded as more tears spilled out of her eyes. "I was so afraid of hurting you that I ended up doing that anyway."

Greg sighed. "Yeah, you did. And it wasn't just me. Nick, Super Dave, Doc, everyone missed you. And what you said about Catherine was hurtful."

Riley swallowed and wiped away tears from her cheeks. "I know I have no right to ask you to forgive me."

Greg raised her chin with his hand so he could look her in the eyes. "I forgive you."

A sad smile crossed Riley's face. "Thank you."

Smiling into her sad face, Greg kissed her cheek. "You're welcome," he whispered into her ear.

Riley smiled. "And that's why I wanted to come to the conference-I had hoped to see you again."

**TBC...**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you and CSI001 for your support. And thankyou to everyone who has been reading this story and adding it to your alerts. It's always so great to hear from people who like your work! :)**

**This is the next to last chapter, and I reference my previous story, "Dear Greg" here. So hopefully you've read that, but if you haven't, there's a little bit of background here. **

**Once again, my sincere thanks to all who have read this and all of my stories. Please leave me a review!**

**Oh, and I still don't own CSI.**

Greg stared into Riley's eyes. He finally knew why Riley had left and came back. He and Riley both felt more at peace now that they had finally come clean. Remembering what Riley had said to him earlier about keeping her options open, Greg wanted to know if she really wanted to come back to Vegas. "So how have you been? Are you really thinking of coming back?"

Riley sighed and shook her head. "No."

If this conversation had taken place two years ago, Greg's heart would have shattered at her answer. Now, thinking of his growing relationship with Morgan and how far he and the team had come, there was a bittersweet feeling.

Riley looked into Greg's caring face. "I've really come so far in San Diego. I've made CSI level three, I've made a lot of great friends...it's a really good fit."

Greg nodded, really feeling happy for her.

Sighing, Riley pulled away from Greg. "I guess I understand why you guys are so close, you had been through so much together. But I just...clashed."

Greg laughed softly. "We worked together well."

"Yeah, we all did. But I pulled away, just like I had been doing for years. It's only been in the last few years I've really been able to feel...important."

"You were important with us."

Riley smiled thoughtfully. "Hmm, after clashing with Langston and then feeling ignored by Catherine and Nick, and then not having the guts to tell you how I felt, I'm surprised you can say that."

"It was true! Riley, you were a good CSI."

"Hey, I still am!" Riley looked away, shyly. "I just...I shut down. And then I ran away."

Greg sighed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "I wrote this after I read your letter. I wondered if I would ever have the guts to send it to you. I tried to explain that this team is my family and...well, I wish we hadn't taken you for granted."

Riley unfolded the paper and read Greg's letter.

_Dear Riley,_

_I am sorry you felt you had no other choice but to leave. I guess we all took you for granted, or took for granted that we were still recovering from losing Warrick. I wish you could have known him. He was one of the coolest people I have ever known. Warrick and Nick were like brothers, maybe even closer. He was a very special person to all of us, and letting him go has been very hard. I'm sorry you felt like this team was fractured. But I thought we were pulling together. It still hurts to think that Warrick couldn't come to me or to any of us with the information that ultimately got him killed. Maybe if we knew...he'd be alive now. _

_Maybe if you had known Warrick, you would understand why all of us remember him with love and admiration. I'm sorry if we...if I made you feel alienated. But we are moving on and, believe it or not, we are a team-no, we're a family._

_I am hurt that you couldn't talk to me about what you felt. It doesn't seem like that long ago I was the low man here. But I kept working. I really love what I do, and I love this team. Now I'm a CSI 3 and part of a team that has seen so much hurt, but has come back together hopefully stronger than ever. You said I was one of the strongest people you ever knew. If that's true, part of that credit is to this team. They've seen me through hell and back. We've all been there for each other. I am sorry you feel like you were not part of the team, but they've been there for me and I had hoped we could be there for you._

_If we...if _I _hurt you, I'm sorry. I hope you can move on and be part of a team where you feel important. Maybe someday you can understand that we are a family here. I wondered why, on that case with the senator's murdered girlfriend a few months ago, you shut down whenever I tried to talk to you about why you were so angry. I wish you could have known you can talk to me about anything. Believe it or not, we...Nick, Catherine and I...do care about you. I wish you could have felt that you belonged here. Maybe you'll find a team where you do feel valued and maybe understand what I mean when I say this team is my family._

_Greg._

A tear fell from Riley's eye onto the paper, blurring some of the ink. Looking up from the paper, she stared into the concerned brown eyes of Greg Sanders.

Cupping his cheek in her hand, she sighed. "Thank you."

Greg nodded and smiled. "Thank _you._" Seeing her brow narrowed in confusion, he added, "We always wondered what would happen if we saw each other again. Now we know we're both going to be okay."

And Greg truly believed that.

Smiling, Riley said, "Yes, we will."

Greg's cell phone pulled them out of their thoughts. He looked at it and saw a text message from Nick about their latest case.

"Duty calls?" Riley asked.

A slight smile crossed Greg's lips. "Yeah."

Riley nodded. "I should go."

Greg smiled. Before he could say anything else, Riley pulled him into a hug.

"I'll miss you."

Greg squeezed her tighter. "I'll miss you too." Pulling away, both had relieved, soft smiles.

"When next we meet, maybe..."

Riley smiled. "Maybe you'll be Morgan's husband." She raised her eyebrows as Greg smiled a bewildered smile. Laughing softly, she reminded Greg that he still had her cell phone number. "Maybe we won't wait four years to catch up."

Greg smiled. "Okay." He had hoped Riley was right about he and Morgan being together.

Riley reached up and kissed Greg's cheek. He held her closer as she hugged him back.

Pulling away, Greg looked into Riley's eyes and smiled. "We'll both be okay." And Greg really believed that.

Riley smiled back. "Yes, we will." Pulling away from his arms, Riley also felt that she and Greg really were going to be just fine.

"Goodbye, Greg."

"Goodbye, Riley."

**TBC...**


	13. Epilogue

**Wow, the last chapter! Thank you so, so much CSI001, and everyone who has read, followed and reviewed this story. It means so much to me that you liked it. ****I really have enjoyed writing this story, and I'm glad it's gotten a lot of positive feedback.** Thank you for your great reviews, too!

**And I am working on a new Greg and Morgan story that I hope to start publishing soon!**

**Well, here it is folks! Thank you again, and please review!**

**And I still don't own CSI.**

As he watched Riley exit the room and leave the Las Vegas Crime Lab for the second time, Greg felt surprisingly good. He didn't know if he would feel guilty or angry after Riley told him why she left and why she came back. But now, after she had explained how she felt and why she felt she had to leave, Greg felt more at peace. Knowing that she was doing well and working through her issues and that he was really moving on with his life left Greg feeling...satisfied.

Blowing out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, Greg realized once again that the team was his family. He hoped Riley would find a team where she felt the same way.

A soft knock at the door drew Greg from his thoughts. Greg looked and saw a concerned Nick in the doorway.

"I just saw Riley leaving. Everything okay?"

Greg sighed. "Yeah, she's heading back to San Diego."

Nick sighed. "You okay, G?"

A half smile crossed Greg's lips. "Yeah. She apologized for just leaving the way she did, and she...seemed good."

"Good," Nick said with a half smile of his own.

Seeing his best friend so concerned about him caused Greg's smile to grow a little wider.

"Thanks, Nick."

Nick looked confused. Greg smiled and said, "Just...for being here."

Nick smiled. "You're welcome, G."

Breathing deeply, Greg walked up to Nick. "Hey, have you seen Morgan?"

"Uh, yeah, she was headed for the break room."

"Thanks," Greg said, tapping Nick's shoulder. Nick smiled and shook his head as Greg headed to find the beautiful CSI.

All Greg wanted to do now was to tell Morgan that both he and Riley had moved on...and he wanted to tell Morgan what he didn't get to tell Riley.

Finally entering the break room, he saw Morgan reaching into the refrigerator for a bottle of water.

"Hey, Greg. How'd it go with..."

Greg didn't give her a chance to finish. He took her in his arms and gave her a passionate kiss.

Morgan was surprised but thrilled. She reached her arms around Greg's shoulders and pulled him deeper into the kiss.

When they finally broke for air, both opened their eyes slowly and gazed at each other.

Greg was on cloud nine.

Steadying her breaths, Morgan smiled. "Um...what was her name?"

Greg smiled. "I have been wanting to do that since I first met you."

Morgan smiled and cupped Greg's cheeks in her hands. "So...I thought...you were..."

Greg shook his head slightly. "I'm here...where I want to be."

"Really?"

He nodded, still gazing into her eyes. "I don't know what's going to happen from here on out, but I want to find out...with you."

Still holding Greg's cheeks in her hands, Morgan pulled him to her for a sweet, loving kiss. Pulling away, she looked at Greg.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Greg smiled and pulled Morgan into a loving embrace. He whispered, "I love you," into her ear and she pulled him closer.

They were lost in their feelings, only to be pulled out of them by the round of applause coming from the CSIs and lab techs that had gathered in the hallway. Greg and Morgan smiled shyly.

"Bout time," Sara said with a big smile.

Greg pulled Morgan into a hug as both of them blushed Morgan brought her eyes up to meet Greg's and mouthed, "I love you too."

At that moment, amid his family with the woman he loved, Greg had never felt more at home in his life. He knew that this-being with Morgan and all of the people he loved-was how it was meant to be.

**The End.**


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